


Ocean Gem

by WestOfWhat



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-03-18 03:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3553979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WestOfWhat/pseuds/WestOfWhat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of Mirror Gem, Lapis Lazuli retreats into the sea, and Steven tries to find his friend once again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. From The Ocean's Depths

Her gem was on her stomach too, that was the first thing Steven noticed when he took the crystal out of the mirror that binded her, and she appeared in front of him. He wanted to ask her what her weapon was, what her powers were, even though she looked so different from him, he hoped that since they shared one thing, they might share other things. But things in that moment were so heated, there was only time for a quick introduction before the girl, Lapis Lazuli, departed into the ocean.

  
Steven spends more and more time on the beach, looking for his friend, and putting shells up to his ears. He carefully listens for her voice, and sometimes he swears he can hear it. One day he wrote a letter to her.

  
_To Lapis,_  
_Where are you? I have so many questions for you! Please come back... I promise I won't tell Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl this time. I promise._  
_From, Steven_

  
He stuffed his letter into a bottle, put a cork in it, and threw it into the waves. He watched it be pushed back and forth, slowly making its way out to sea. Steven walked along the shore, kicking rocks and shells lazily.

  
"I really hope she finds that..." Steven's voice was low, but he still held out hope.

  
He came back to the beach in the evening. The stars were beginning to show in the orange and pink sky, and as he stepped closer to the tide rolling the sounds he was making, his footsteps and breathing, became quiet in comparison to the ocean. He tossed his sandals onto the dry sand and stepped into the water.

  
Steven cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Lapis! You can come out now! The gems are gone!" And it was true, the gems went on a mission underwater, somewhere Steven couldn't follow.

  
The water began to pool around Steven's feet, and it snaked its way up his body, stopping just below his arms. It formed a hand and pulled Steven out past the tides, out to the calm part of the sea.

  
"Whoa! Lapis, I really hope this is you!"

  
The fist Steven was in relaxed, and let Steven sit on its open palm. Lapis emerged from the depths of the ocean, in a spiral of water. She smiled.  
"Hi, Steven."


	2. A Wail Of A Tail

"Lapis! Oh boy, am I glad to see you. I thought you might be some water demon or something for a minute there!"

  
Lapis giggled at the boy and said, "I missed you, Steven." She came in closer to Steven and he pulled her in for a hug. Her skin was wet, and icy cold. Colder than the other gems, and it felt. Slimy... and, scaly? Kind of gross, but Steven was just glad it was Lapis.

  
Lapis was befuddled by this action, she'd been trapped in that mirror so long, and gems just. Aren't the most affectionate race. It took a second, but she enjoyed the hug. Steven was warm, his clothes were soaking, but he was still warmer than anything Lapis has seen in a long, long time.

  
"I missed you, too," Steven finally broke away from her. "Lapis, I have so many questions for you."

  
"Well... Like what?"

 

"What's your weapon? Do you have any cool powers?"

  
"I don't exactly have a weapon..."

  
"Is it a shield like mine?"

 

"Here, let me show you."

  
Lapis sat down on her spiral of water and her gem glowed, a dazzling blue that looked the same as the now dark sky. The glow surrounded her legs and when the light subsided what Steven saw was a tail. He stared at it, trying to get a real good look. Maybe it was the dark playing tricks on him, but it looked almost transparent.

 

"Whoa," Steven's voice was filled with awe. "Mermaids are real..."

  
Lapis jumped off from where she was sitting and swam around, showing off her pair of flippers. She was so speedy! Steven thought it was incredible how just a fin could let someone become so much quicker. His mind wandered, he began to picture himself as a merman, and he smiled at the thought.

  
"Cool, huh? It's not a weapon, but I like it." Lapis's voice was as cool as the ocean's water, Steven loved the way she sounded.

  
"I think it's amazing!" Steven sprung up and into the water, splashing Lapis with the salty sea. But gosh, they were out way deep, way deeper than Steven thought. His feet couldn't find the sand, and he glanced towards Beach City. It was far.

  
Farther than Steven could swim. He wasn't the best at swimming, despite living right by the beach. He was too busy with important gem work to learn how to swim properly! He tried to doggie paddle to shore, but could only go so far.

  
"Uh, Steven, do you need some help?"

  
"I'm great at swimming, I swear! I've lived on the beach for my whole life!"

  
He put more effort into his paddling, but was starting to have trouble staying afloat.

  
"Yeah, ok, I'll take that help now."

  
She scooped him up in a gentle, watery hand and carried him to shore. They stepped onto the sand together, and as they walked along it Steven told Lapis all about what happened when she was gone. He told her about trying to build a spaceship with Pearl, and her expression turned into a scowl at the name of one of those gems.

  
"Why would she ever wanna go back there?"

  
Steven looked at her, he was befuddled. "Well, wouldn't you want to go home?"

  
"This is my home now," Lapis stood to face the ocean, the wind blew her hair and dress up, and the moonlight shined on the horizon. Steven almost forgot to listen to what she was saying because he just thought she looked so beautiful in that moment. "This... Water. I like it. It reminds me of home. But it doesn't have any gems, and I like that."

  
"W-What's wrong with gems?"

  
Lapis spun around and looked in Steven's eyes, Lapis's eyes were illuminating, they were so bright even though the rest of her face was cast in shadow. "You saw what they did to me. I was in that mirror for so, _so_ long."

  
"Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl didn't do that, right...?"

  
"No, but they left me in there. They knew I was in there, and they thought I was too dangerous to be let out. They didn't care that I might not be. They didn't care that I might have been miserable in there."

  
"I'm. I'm sorry, Lapis." Steven's empathy was getting the best of him, Lapis looked angry, remembering the pain she was put through. But Steven's eyes were beginning to water from hearing her sob story.

  
"It's ok, Steven. You didn't do this to me, you set me free." And just like that, her face turned soft and endearing, and she hugged Steven. She put her chin down on Steven's head, and he squeezed her tight. "Thank you."


	3. Can You Show Me?

Steven keeps coming back to visit, the two of them worked out a schedule, and a location to meet. He'd head far down the beach, to a particular set of rocks, and they would meet after the sun went down. It was always cold, but he didn't want anyone to know Lapis was around.

  
Steven hiked over to the rocks, these ones had tidepools in them. There were so many little creatures in the pools, Lapis was so new to Earth, Steven showed her all of them. She was fascinated, she leaned in intently when he picked up a starfish and told her about it. Steven pointed out all of the sea plants and animals that live in shells, Lapis poked them and got in as close as she could to them.

  
That was yesterday, now Steven was back, and waiting for Lapis to show. He had on his down jacket, and was warm enough, except his face, but soon his whole body would be cold. Lapis was going to teach him how to swim. They had that conversation the night before.

  
_"If you want, I can show you how to swim."_

  
_"But, Lapis, don't you use your tail? I don't have a tail..."_

  
_"Well, before I could use my gem, I was just like you. I couldn't swim. But I figured it out. And I'm sure you can too! Especially with my help."_

  
Steven was excited, he got to learn something new, and he got to do it with Lapis! He crouched down and looked at all the tiny crabs living in the tidepools, sometimes picking them up and holding them, looking inside their shells. While he had one eye shut and was peaking into the little guy's home, he felt itsy-bitsy legs on his neck. 

 

He dropped the crab and yelled, grabbing at the inside of his collar, and plucked the crab out. He turned around and saw the blue girl bent over a bit, covering her mouth to silence her laughter.

 

She wasn't quite finished when she said, "Sorry, Steven, it was just too easy."

  
Steven began to laugh a little too, and he nudged the crab in his palm a little. "Yeah, it was kinda funny."

  
"Are you ready to practice?" Lapis finally stopped laughing, but the smile was still apparent on her face, Steven felt a warmth inside him whenever he saw her bright, cute smile.   
Steven took off his clothes, he had worn his swim trunks underneath his regular clothes for extra speediness. "Yes!" And with that, he bounded off into the ocean, the waves were particularly strong at night, and he felt them pull him out deeper.

  
Lapis saw a slight tinge of worry on his face. "Don't worry," Lapis assured him, she even gave him a helping hand, quite literally. She carried him with a much larger pair of hands. "Nothing bad can happen to you here as long as I'm with you." Slowly she returned the water to its home and Steven was eased back into the cold.   
Lapis joined him and tried to show him how to kick his feet, and move his arms, but found she was having a bit of trouble remembering.   
"It's been so long, Steven, I thought I would just. Remember."

  
"It's alright, Lapis. Maybe you just need a couple days without your tail to remember!" Steven beamed up, always the optimistic that one.   
Lapis couldn't help but feel hope when he looked at her like that. This kid was just so lovable. He wasn't like the other gems, he cared. And Lapis cared about him. By gods, she'll teach this boy to swim if she had to train herself all over again. She dived into the salt water, eager to teach, and eager to learn.


	4. Teach Me and I'll Teach You

"This is a donut!" Steven held the ring of fried dough in front of Lapis's eyes. Steven had bought a couple donuts hours earlier, and it was tough to keep them around this long, they were pretty tempting, but Steven wanted to share one of his favorite things with Lapis. Lapis examined the donut carefully, she closed one eye and peeked through the hole, and stuck a finger through it. 

"What's that for?" 

Steven's face fell from excitement to puzzled. His mouth turned to one side and his eyebrows narrowed in. "Uh, I'm not really sure... But it tastes good! Try it!" Steven shoved the food towards Lapis's mouth, and she backed away a step. Her face mirrored Steven's previous one, much like it did when she literally was a mirror. "Oh," Steven said. "I forgot. Gems don't need to eat. Here, watch me." Steven ripped off a part of the chocolate topped donut, revealing the jelly inside, and popped it in his mouth. 

Lapis cautiously followed, she wasn't sure what she was about to experience, but Steven said it's good, so she decided to trust him. Once the jelly hit her tongue her eyes widened and she clapped her hands onto her face. She stayed like that for a moment, and then stuffed the rest of the donut into her mouth. Steven beamed at her, his smile couldn't have been wider. 

"Do you have any more?" Lapis sounded soft, but Steven could see the hunger in her eyes, and he was filled with joy that she loved it so much. He handed her another donut, this time a nice, old-fashioned one. She scarfed it down, and made little sqees of delight. "That one was different!" 

"Yeah, there are a bunch of flavors." Steven pulled out a maple bar and her eyes shined, she took it and devoured it. Lapis shook her head when she was finishing swallowing. 

"Alright, Steven, that was amazing. But it's time for me to teach _you_ something new!" Lapis turned around and stepped into the ocean, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The water never got old to her. "I think I figured out how I used to swim. Come on in." She held out her hand to Steven and he was guided into the water by her. 

Yikes! That's cold! Steven began to repeat the word "cold" over and over again, as though saying it enough times would make the place warmer. With each step he yelped a little bit, the cold was a shock to his body's usually warm temperature, but he'd been in this cold of water before, and despite what his irrational self might think, it wasn't going to give him frostbite. 

The waves crashed into the two of them, causing louder yelps to escape Steven, but Lapis remained unfazed by the water. Lapis put a hand to her chin, and then her index finger shot up towards the sky. "I won't be able to teach you with these waves getting in the way." She motioned the water, and created a shallow pool free from waves just above the rest of the ocean. Lapis smiled, and placed her hands on her hips. "There we go." 

Lapis took Steven in her hands and positioned him just the right way, and taught him all the right movements to swim the freestyle way, the most effective way of swimming. Steven actually caught on pretty quickly, it only took a few minutes for him to get the grip on it. Lapis was expecting it to take longer, since it took her a while to remember how to swim like this. 

"It's just because I have a great teacher!" said Steven. Lapis felt flattered that Steven thought so highly of her, but still she turned her head away, and allowed her hair to hide her face for a moment while her blue blush faded. That night, she managed to teach Steven all the ways she could think to swim, except with a tail, but there's always time for that some other day.


	5. Maybe

Steven's day was peculiar. He was left with many questions after Garnet destroyed a warp that they were checking not very long ago. Steven wondered why Garnet broke it when the gems sounded so disappointed that it was broken before. And that other gem, Peridot. What did she want? Why did the other gems act so terrified when they saw her? 

Asking them only resulted in them acting like Steven was too dumb to understand anything, and this frustrated him to no end. He planned to talk to Lapis about this whole thing, Lapis seemed much more open about things with him than Garnet, Amethyst, or Pearl. She told him all the things she remembered about homeworld, and things about the gems off Earth. She didn't have many nice things to say about them, but the way her face looked when she talked about the land she came from. 

Steven didn't even need a quarter of the empathy he had to tell she missed it. But she lived here now and said, "Things would probably be way different now. I don't even know how long I was trapped in that mirror." so Steven assumed she was perfectly fine being here with him. He saw the rocks in the distance and raced towards them. 

"Lapis!" he yelled. As he got closer he saw her sitting on a boulder, waiting patiently for his arrival. "I have so much to tell you," he began, stopping to catch his breath. "There was this gem today. Her name's Peridot! She looked pretty cool, but kind of scary... But I'm sure she's nice!" 

Lapis's smile dropped. Her hands formed fists and tears began to well in her eyes. Steven frowned and approached her, he put his hand on her shoulder, slimy as always, but Steven didn't mind it at all anymore. "Hey," Steven tried his best to sound sympathetic, which came as easy as breathing to him. "What's wrong?" 

"I thought I finally found a place where I didn't have to worry about other gems," Her voice cracked. "Well, besides from your friends." She tried to flash Steven a quick smile to lighten the mood. Steven held her hands in his and gave her a loving, tender smile right back at her. But there were still questions he wanted answered, and his smile slowly turned into a neutral expression. 

He sighed, "Some friends they are, they won't even tell me what the big deal about Peridot is." 

Lapis blinked away her tears and looked Steven dead in the eyes with a grim expression on her. "Steven, other gems are not nice. They are brutal. They will not find any beauty in this planet, like your friends and I have." 

"W-what's that mean? 

"It means they'll do to it what they did to hundreds, maybe even thousands by now, of other planets. They'll take it over. Make it their own, and get rid of everything that made the place unique." 

Steven couldn't believe it. All the gems he'd known up until now were so awesome, like big sisters, and this bomb just exploded in his face. But it all made sense, why his friends reacted the way they did to Peridot, and all the little things that just didn't add up until now. Steven could see why they wanted to keep it secret from him, he was being hit by waves of various emotions. 

He didn't know whether to panic or be optimistic and think that maybe after all these years, gems learned to be more loving, like Lapis and the others. He was hesitate, but tried to fill his mind with positive thoughts. Maybe they were different now. Steven's mind flashed back to the image of Peridot crushing that tiny, green robot beneath her foot, with a look of utter disgust. 

Maybe they're different now. Maybe.


	6. Dance With Me!

The gems' worry melted away, at least it appeared that way to Steven. They were always seen smiling, and things returned to normal. They attempted to teach him how to fuse. Though he couldn't fuse with Garnet, Amethyst, or Pearl, he somehow fused with Connie. It was incredible! At least, for a while. Being a fusion, you're never alone, but you get lonely. Steven couldn't see Connie, he couldn't see her smile and interact with her the same way. 

He was glad to be single again. But he'd do it again. Maybe only for a little while next time, if he could figure out to control the de-fusion process. 

"What do you think our fusion would look like?" Steven asked absentmindedly, gently kicking his feet in the waters. He just told Lapis the story of his first fusion, and she sounded so happy and excited for him, she said, "Oh, Steven, you're going to be a great gem! I wasn't able to fuse until I was 1,000 years old!" His tummy filled up with butterflies and his heart melted because of her words. 

"I think we'd look more like you than me. Maybe purple?" 

"Like Amethyst!" Lapis smiled at him and gently patted his head. Her eyes twinkled and she kissed his forehead. Steven's mind wandered the possible looks for their fusion, and the name they'd have. "What do you think our weapon would be?" 

Lapis leaned back and gazed into the distance, trying to fathom what a combination of a shield and tail could be. "Maybe... An indestructible tail? Sounds kinda lame, though, doesn't it?" She giggled and Steven gasped with awe. The thought of that actually excited him. Lapis chuckled at his reaction, he was adorable. The simplest things amazed him. 

Steven jumped up and held out his hand for Lapis. "Let's dance!" he said, his voice filled with enthusiasm. Lapis glanced back and forth between his palm and his face. Her face lightened up and she placed her hand in his. He pulled her up and she took the lead, naturally since she was the oldest one, and lead him into a tango. She dipped him and lifted him up, and Steven let out little whoas, it was fun dancing with her. But he didn't see any glowing. 

Lapis seemed confused as they failed to fuse, she ran out of dance steps, and had to stop it. Steven felt a twinge of disappointment, but he told Lapis, "Don't worry about it, I just need practice. Besides, if we fused, we wouldn't be able to hang out like this!" He was always optimistic, that one. Maybe, Lapis thought, I could learn a thing or two from Steven.


	7. A New Crystal Gem?

Steven was too optimistic for his own good. Despite the gems' and Lapis's warnings, he reached out to Peridot. She tried to crush him. And now because of Steven's actions, he was lying in a cell aboard Peridot and Jasper's ship. He felt so stupid for thinking there could be good in her even though the gems seemed so adverse to her. He was beating himself up over putting trust in Peridot. But it was just the kind of person he was.

 _I should have listened to them this time, though._ Steven thought. He examined his cage and found out that the barrier keeping him in he could pass through. It tickled, like when a part of your body was asleep and started to wake up. Then he found Ruby, and they ran around the sci-fi-looking place looking for Sapphire. They ran down hallways and a blue figure entered their view. Ruby scoffed when she realized who that figure was. Steven approached the person and Ruby ran off, shouting for Sapphire.

"Lapis, is that you?" She turned around, and sure enough, it was his friend. "How'd you get here?"

Her face flushed a deep navy and she tilted her head down for her bangs to hide her eyes. She mumbled, "They got me." Steven stood there puzzled, and tried to piece things together. He remembered protecting the gems, Garnet getting forced back into her gem, and then getting his lights punched out. He couldn't find a moment with Lapis in it.

"What happened?"

"I saw you come back. And then I saw what happened to Garnet, and I worried about what they might do to you, so I..." Her voice trailed off, she looked at Steven and gave him a sheepish grin. Steven smiled, he didn't need her to finish, he managed to guess the rest. He stuck his hand through the barrier and gestured for Lapis to come escape with them. Together they ran off, searching for Sapphire, and hiding from Peridot and Jasper. They found Sapphire singing by her lonesome, she was scolded for her tunes, but she continued them as soon as the two enemy gems left. Steven found her singing brought him peace, even in this environment. He freed her from her cage, and she grabbed his and Lapis's hands. Off they went, straight to Ruby.

That was when Steven found out Garnet was a fusion. He was surprised, but as time would go on, he would find out that there were clues he never picked up on before. Lapis seemed like she expected it, Steven figured she just had far more knowledge about gems than him. Steven didn't even know how old Lapis was. She can't be nearly as young as Steven, but he had no idea how old she could _really_ , especially considering how old the other gems were.

Garnet kissed Steven's forehead. Instant info. He knew exactly where to go. Lapis was almost going to leave with him to get Amethyst and Pearl, but a big floof of hair caught her peripheral. Garnet wouldn't stand a chance by herself. Lapis looked into Jasper's hands. Shivers. That weapon she had inspired the most bizarre feeling Lapis had ever felt. Looking at it she could feel the buzzing deep inside her core. She had to get that thing away from Jasper.

"You go on, Steven," Lapis turned her head to reassure Steven with her eyes. "You'll do great." Steven's face glowed and he ran and began his quest for Amethyst and Pearl.

Lapis redirected her attention back to the enormous yellow gem. Lapis couldn't help but feel tiny. Tiny and helpless. It felt as if she was trapped in that damn mirror again. Jasper made jabs at Garnet first, and soon Lapis heard insults towards herself.

"And the little brat is back too. Kid, you don't have what it takes to hold your ground against me." She clenched her fists. Images brewed in her mind, how to get that weapon into her own hands. The fight began, snapped Lapis out of her brainstorm. Jasper went after Garnet, the one who she viewed as a bigger threat. Jasper left herself open, though, her arm flung back, and in its hand was that weapon. Lapis lunged for it.

Smack!

Lapis was punched in her stomach and flung across the room, into the wall. There was pain, why was there pain? Now there were two things she felt in her stomach. Pain, and her heart. She was curled on the ground, arms pressed against her tummy, and when she removed them. Oh god. It can't be. She ran her fingers over her gem. She felt a very clear ravine. Lapis got up, and tried to sprint away. A tight grip fell upon her wrist and she was lifted up.

"Your gem cracked? Really? You're even weaker than I thought." Lapis burned up, she kicked and threw punches, but not one of them had any effect. Luckily Garnet was still free, and fighting strong. She managed to get the drop on Jasper, thanks to Lapis distracting her. Jasper dropped Lapis as she was knocked back by Garnet's gauntlets.

"You go find Steven, he'll take care of you! And I'll take care of Jasper." Garnet smiled as she swiftly avoided Jasper's attempts to hit her.

Lapis nodded and clutched her gem, and began running in the general direction she saw Steven go. But gosh, this place was so huge. There was a new turn every few steps. Lapis weaved her way through hallway after hallway, and after what felt like ages, she began to hear footsteps that weren't hers. She jolted towards them and as she rounded a corner she saw Steven with Pearl.

"Steven! Wait for me!" Steven stopped and while he was initially happy to see her again so soon, he noticed her odd running. Her hands still covered her stomach, and Steven couldn't tell why. Even when she approached him and stopped, her hands remained there.

"Lapis! Hey, uh, what're you doing there?" Steven pointed down to her abdomen, and Lapis reacted by moving her hands, slowly. She winced when she saw the sight again. "Oh gosh, what happened!"

"I tried to grab Jasper's weapon... Didn't go exactly as I hoped." Lapis let out a lighthearted giggle, but she was cursing herself for being so reckless. She should have thought out her moves better. The longer she looked at her gem the more she regretted her decision. Lapis began to remember all the other gems whose gems cracked. What they became. What they did. She looked at Steven and died inside when she thought, _I'll even hurt you when I become like that._

That was the last thing she wanted.

In spite of how Lapis was feeling though, Steven simply smiled. He licked his hand. _What is he doing?_ He slapped his wet hand right on her gem. Lapis grimaced but Steven looked very pleased with himself. He removed his hand and just stood with a smug expression on his face. Lapis's gem began to glow.

"What's happening?" Lapis continued to watch in both horror and amazement. When the glowing subsided, she noticed a lack of a crack.

"Tada!" Steven did jazz hands around Lapis's gem and relief flooded Lapis. The fear and horror she felt from before melted away. This kid was really something.

Pearl chirped in, annoyed, "Yes, well that's all very nice, but we've got to go!"


	8. Protectors

The room was silent. Gems of all colors sat, waiting for another one to break the silence. That one was the pink gem. 

"So... Can Lapis stay with us?" Garnet glanced over at Lapis, who was sitting as close to Steven and as far away from the other gems as she could, and simply nodded. 

"Alright." This answer seemed to shock the others, even Steven. Steven began to smile as he realized the weight those words had. He thought about how Lapis and him could finally hang out like normal friends, and not only at night like some weird vampire buddies.

Lapis peeped up, "You trust me?" Garnet solemnly nodded once again. 

"You put up a good fight, for Steven's sake," Lapis blushed, she knew Garnet was exaggerating. She didn't put a good fight at all, she went down easy. "and, _so far at least_ , you haven't tried to attack us." Pearl and Amethyst looked wary about Garnet's invitation, then again, so did Lapis. 

"Well, uh, I guess if Garnet's ok with it..." Amethyst gave her approval, but it would be a while before she actually became comfortable around Lapis, and comfortable calling her part of the team. Pearl folded her arms and turned towards Garnet. 

"Are you sure about this?" Pearl tried to whisper, but her emotional state, and the quietness of the room meant she was heard by everyone. Garnet stood up and walked over to Lapis. She placed her hand on Lapis's shoulder. 

"Welcome to the Crystal Gems." and that was the final thing she said before she left for her bedroom. Pearl and Amethyst followed soon after, eager to get away from the awkward tension in the home. Steven sat there letting out little noises of excitement, and bounced up and down before hugging Lapis. 

Lapis felt a mix of emotions. She was glad to know that the gems wouldn't attack her if they saw the chance, but she still felt. Scared. They hadn't done anything to her, yet at the very least. The only one besides Steven she felt even remotely comfortable around was Garnet, because of the fight, Lapis saw how hard Garnet was trying to protect not only Steven, but Lapis herself. The brush with doom also had her remembering bad, _bad_ memories. She was lost in her own thoughts but tried to reciprocate the hug. 

Steven still noticed though. The weak pat on his back told him something was wrong. And it was his job to cheer her up. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed one of his few remaining Cookie Cat ice cream sandwiches from the freezer and back to Lapis. 

"You see this?" He pointed at the picture of the kitty on the packaging. "This is Cookie Cat! He's super duper yummy! And there's only a few of him left in the world, and I'm giving one to you!" Steven held the ice cream out in front of Lapis's face. She reached out but held her hand in the air. 

"Are you sure? Only a few left in the world...? That sounds rare," Lapis gave him a meek look. "Are you sure you want to give him to me?"

"Well," Steven shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, you're sad after all, and Cookie Cat is one of the things that cheers me up." 

She smiled. "Thanks, Steven," she said as she took the ice cream from his hand. "But I don't think some yummy food is going to make me forget about what happened." Still, she opened the package and bit into the ear of the cat. A rush went through her, the first time she ever tasted strawberry, and it was fantastic. "Whoa, then again..." 

Her joke didn't sway Steven from what she had just said, and he wanted to inquire. "What happened? What do you mean?" Steven sat down and leaned towards Lapis, a look of innocent curiosity on his face. 

"My gem... It broke." 

He tilted his head. "But it's fixed now. Right?"

"Yes, but... It's scary, and it brought back a lot of bad memories." Lapis fiddled with her fingers and pet her dress, trying to distract herself. Steven frowned. He wondered what memories she had buried in herself. Part of him wanted to ask, but another part warned it was best to not. Luckily he didn't need to ask. "I've seen so many gems become monsters, Steven. Some of them were my friends..." 

"What? What do you mean?" Steven scratched his head and pondered her words. "And you had other friends? I thought you said other gems weren't nice?" 

Lapis shook her head. "Most aren't... I haven't met a nice one besides you for... I don't even know how long. That's why when you find one that's kind, you gotta hold onto them. And make sure they're safe," she looked at Steven and smiled, but tears were welling in her eyes. "I was never able to do that. Not with them, and not with you." 

"Oh no, Lapis," Steven whined. He jumped right up and threw his arms around her. "Please don't cry, everything's ok now, Lapis. We're all gonna keep each other safe. We all look out for each other." Lapis sniffled and pulled Steven into her, squeezing him tight in her arms. 

"I'll try to get stronger, so I can protect you."


End file.
